Prospect Talent Score

Probability of Success

History

2010-11: Vaclav Karabacek skated for the HC Letnany U16 team in his native Czech Republic. In 22 games he scored 18 goals with 12 assists and was +2 with 8 penalty minutes.

2011-12: Karabacek played for HC Letany’s U18 and U16 teams and competed internationally for the Czech Republic’s national U16 team. He scored 15 goals with 14 assists and was +8 with 18 penalty minutes in 25 games for HC Letany’s U18 team. Karabacek scored 61 goals with 43 assists and was +67 with 70 penalty minutes in 32 U18 games. He scored 3 goals with 1 assist and was -1 in ten games for the Czech U16 team.

2012-13: Karabacek moved to Austria to play junior hockey for EC Salzburg in the Red Bull Rookie Cup; skating for the club’s U20 and U18 teams. He scored 2 goals with 1 assist and had 2 penalty minutes in five games with the U20 squad. Karabacek scored 26 goals with 19 assists and had 55 penalty minutes in 21 games for EC Salzburg’s U18 team. He skated in 19 games for the Czech Republic at the U18 and U17 levels — scoring 5 goals with 7 assists and finishing +1 with 30 penalty minutes — but did not skate in the U18 World Junior Championship. Karabacek was selected by Medvescak-Zagreb in the first round (36th overall) of the 2013 KHL Draft and was taken by Gatineau in the first round (18th overall) of the 2013 CHL Import Draft.

2013-14: Karabacek competed for the Czech Republic’s U18 team in the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament in August before heading to North America for his first QMJHL season in Gatineau. He finished the season with the silver medal-winning Czech U18 squad at the 2014 World Juniors. Karabacek fit in well with the high-scoring Olympiques – tallying 21 goals with 26 assists in 65 regular season games — and was +4 with with 40 penalty minutes. Gatineau finished fourthin the West Division and reached the second round in the playoffs. Karabacek scored 6 goals with 6 assists and was +11 with 10 penalty minutes in nine playoff games. He had 2 assists and was -1 with 2 penalty minutes in four games for the Czech U18 team at the Ivan Hlinka tournament and scored 3 goals with 3 assists and was +4 with 4 penalty minutes at the WJC. The Czech Republic defeated Canada, 4-3, in the semifinals before falling to the USA, 5-2, in the gold medal game. Karabacek was ranked 35th amongst North American skaters in the Central Scouting final rankings and was selected by Buffalo in the second round (49th overall) in the 2014 NHL Draft.

2014-15: Karabacek returned to Gatineau for his second QMJHL season — skating in 31 games for the Olympiques before being acquired by Baie-Comeau in exchange for Kings’ prospect Valentin Zykov in a trade deadline deal in January 2015. In 59 regular season games between the two teams he scored 17 goals with 23 assists and was -6 with 62 penalty minutes. The Drakkar finished fourth in the powerful East Division.

Talent Analysis

Karabacek is a pure goal-scorer who excels at finding the open spots in the offensive zone and bulging the twine. Though not a dynamic skater he uses his frame well to protect the puck and get into position to make a play. He has worked, with mixed results, to round out his game — especially in his own end — in his first two seasons in North America.

Future

Karabacek had a challenging second season in North America in 2014-15 — beginning the year with Gatineau before a mid-season trade to Baie-Comeau. Playing more of a two-way, support role and working to improve in the other areas of his game, he struggled to score as consistently as he did his first season. Long-term this may benefit Karabacek as he learns to be a more complete player. His offensive ability suggests he can be an effective scorer at the NHL level one day. He is still in the process of developing at this point.

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Photo: Vaclav Karabacek is one of seven prospects representing the Buffalo Sabres in the Canadian major junior hockey ranks. Karabacek was picked in the second round of the 2014 NHL Draft. (courtesy of Francois Laplante/FreestylePhoto/Getty Images)

Many of the Buffalo Sabres‘ top prospects are already earning their stripes in the pros, but the organization’s war chest of young players runs deep, with several other key prospects currently playing in the CHL and USHL.

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Photo: Defenseman Jake McCabe is one of several Buffalo Sabres defensive prospects who are pushing for spots in the NHL. McCabe was a second round pick from 2012. (courtesy of Andy Mead/YCJ/Icon Sportswire)

Once the Buffalo Sabres are done collecting their puzzle pieces, it will be a matter of figuring out how they will all fit together. The Sabres have the cornerstones in place with Sam Reinhart at center and Rasmus Ristolainen on defense, but the short-term focus is to make sure that every prospect in the organization takes a step forward.

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Photo: Selected second overall in the 2014 NHL Draft, forward Sam Reinhart comes to the Buffalo Sabres with high expectations. Reinhart managed 36 goals and 69 assists with the Kootenay Ice of the WHL last season. (courtesy of Marissa Baecker/Getty Images)

There is little doubt that the future is very exciting for the Buffalo Sabres. With one of the league’s deepest pool of prospects already and another five picks in the first two rounds of the 2015 NHL Draft, general manager Tim Murray is aggressively laying down the foundations for the rebuilding Sabres.

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Photo: Forward Sam Reinhart was selected second overall by the Buffalo Sabres. Reinhart is the highest selection the Sabres have made since they picked Pierre Turgeon first overall in 1987. (courtesy of Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

General manager Tim Murray was all business at his first NHL Draft, wasting little time making his picks. The Buffalo Sabres are quite deep at every position, but since the focus was on defensemen last year with Rasmus Ristolainen and Nikita Zadorov, the attention shifted toward forwards this year. The Sabres used seven of their nine draft picks on forwards, including four in the first two rounds.

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Photo: Halifax Mooseheads forward and 2014 prospect Nikolaj Ehlers was named the CHL Rookie of the Year for the 2013 -14 season (courtesy of Derek Leung/Getty Images)

After a banner year in 2013 at the NHL Draft, the QMJHL appears to have settled back to more familiar levels when it comes to the draft class of 2014. While there may be no Nathan MacKinnon or Jonathan Drouin to highlight the list of eligible players this year, it is another Halifax Moosehead, Nikolaj Ehlers, who appears set to be the first QMJHL player to hear his name called on Friday night in Philadelphia.